Studio 619 for March 2, 2008

ConnectKentuckyThe U.S. Senate version of the farm bill currently under debate includes the “Connect the Nation Act.” It would make federal funds available for broadband internet deployment projects modeled from a program that originated in Kentucky. But as WFPL’s Gabe Bullard reports, there are questions as to whether Kentucky’s program is the ideal model.

The New Albany-Floyd County Education Foundation is trying to raise enough money to fund full-day kindergarten for its students. The Foundation raised the money needed for this year’s program via private donations, but now they’re looking to the public to raise the rest of the money needed. Stephanie Sanders spoke with spokesperson Dave Rarick about the campaign and what it would fund.

A group of Louisvillians known as the Henry Wallace Brigade is planning a trip this year to Cuba, where the members will help build a community center for the elderly. Rick Howlett talks with organizer Sonja de Vries about the project.

Ideas about creationism and evolution have divided some education officials, community leaders and lawmakers throughout the country. Last year’s opening of the Creation Museum in Petersburg, Kentucky, underscored disagreements on both sides. This week, a play in Shelbyville reveals continuing contentions over the issue. WFPL’s Elizabeth Kramer reports.

Kentucky’s Bicentennial Celebration of Abraham Lincoln has most people thinking a little more about the nation’s sixteenth President. But for one Lawrenceburg man, Lincoln is his life. Kentucky Public Radio’s Lisa Autry explains.

There’s a new trend at zoos these days: exhibits focusing on arctic habitats. And that’s in part because zoos are recognizing and addressing the threat to those environments from global warming. At least 12 zoos nationwide are building new or revamping older exhibits with polar bears and other iconic arctic creatures.

Zoos are not only playing a conservation role behind the scenes, building up a “safety” population to ensure bears don’t go extinct; they’re playing that role on a very public stage. More than 140 million people visited zoos last year in the U.S. alone. WFPL’s Kristin Espeland reports on the emerging trend.

As the cost of natural gas rises and the need for cleaner power becomes more immediate, power companies are looking to new sources of energy. For EON-US, that means staying with coal. EON CEO Vic Staffieri outlined this plan in a speech to the Louisville Downtown Rotary on Thursday, February 28th. (note: Staffieri says nuclear plants are more expensive to build, but research indicates nuclear power’s overall cost is comparable to coal’s.)